Centering device.



V. WILLOUGHBY.

CENTEBING DEVICE.

APPLICATION IILBD JULY 19,1910.

Patented Feb. 11, 1913.

; UNITED" STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VICTOR WILLOUGHBY, OF JEFFERSONVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CARAND FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF NEWJERSEY.

CENTERING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11,1913.

Application filed July 19, 1910. Serial No. 572,757.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VICTOR WILLOUGHBY,residing at Jefi'ersonville, Indiana, and being a citizen of the UnitedStates, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in CenteringDevices, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and to use the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, which illustrate the preferred form of the invention, thoughit is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exactdetails of construction shown and described, as it is obviousthatvarious modiiications thereof will occur to persons skilled in theart,

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a longi tudinal sectional view taken onthe plane indicated'by line l1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a longitudinalsectional view taken on a plane at right angles to the plane of thesection shownin Fig. 1, and approximately on line 2-2 of said figure.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 1 represents the draft sillswhich may comprise extension of the center sills, '2 the end sill, and 3the draw bar, as in ordinary car construction. Occupying a positionadjacent the inner face of the end sill, and between and supported bythe draft sills, is the centering device for the draw bar 3, whichcentering device is the particular subject matter of the presentinvention.

To the under side of each of the draft sills is bolted or otherwisesuitably secured a guide hanger 4, said hangers being identical in formand positioned directly opposite each other. A transversely disposedslidingly mounted casting 5 has its 'ends'extending through andsustained by hangers 4. At a point approximately midway in the length-ofcasting 5 the casting is formed with an upwardly extending arm 6, formedpreferably of a central web and suitable stiffening flanges. Extendingfrom one draft sill to the other, and passing loosely through a suitableaperture formed in the web of the arm 6 and through apertures in thesaid sills, is a bolt 7, which bolt is held in place by any suitablemeans, as by the usual nut retained by a pin or other locking means. 1

Disposed between the web of the arm 6 and one of the draft sills, andsurrounding the bolt 7, is a coil spring 8. Disposed between the web ofthe arm 6, and the other of the draft sills, and surrounding the bolt 7,is a similar coil spring 8.' The springs 8 and 8 are of equal length andtension so as normally to hold the arm 6 in a position approximatelymidway between the draft sills. Stifl'ening angle bars 9 are applied tothe opposite faces of the center sills, and bolt 7 is passed through thevertical flanges of the angle bars.

Formed integral with the under. face of the casting 5 is a pair ofdepending arms 10,

said arms being spaced apart and carr ng,

between their lower ends a. roller 11, w ich roller is journaled upon abolt 12 extend.- ing through the lower ends of arms 10. The arms 10 aredisposed beneath the arm 6 and midway in the length of thelcasting 5sutlicient space being left between each 0 the said arms and itsadjacent hanger 4 for permitting requisite movement of the casting 5 insaid guide hangers.

Thedraw bar 3 extends between the arms 10 and rests upon the roller 11,said arms 10 with the roller ll and bolt 12 thus serving as a draw barcarrying iron. Any side'wise movement of the draw bar 3 will shiftcasting 5 longitudinally through hangers 4,

compressing one or the other of the springs 8 or 8. When lateralpressure is relieved from the draw bar, expanding movement of thecompressed spring will return thedraw bar to its normal, centralposition.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, a

pair of supporting members, a draw bar,

draw bar supporting casting transversely movably supported by saidsupporting members, a pair of pendent lugs formed integral with saldcasting, an anti-friction roller between said lugs adapted to receivesaid draw bar, an upstanding arm formed integral with said casting andprojecting between said supporting members, and a pair of compressionsprings extendingbetween opposite side portions of said upstanding armand said supporting members 'for maintaining proper relative position ofsaid draw bar.

2. In a device of the class described, a slidable casting having a pairof depending sills and a slidable easting supported from said hangersand bolt. 1 In itness whereof I have hereunte set my hand in thepresence of two witnesses.

VICTOR WILLOUGHBY.

roller supporting arms and a vertical stop arm projecting from the topof said bar .and in a plane intermediate the plane containing saiddepending arms.

3. In a device of the class despribed, a

pair of sills, angle irOns stiffening each of \Vitnesses: I said sills,aboltv passing through'said sills I .Jorm J. SNYDER, and angle-iron,hangersdepending from said J H. BALDW N. I

Copies-sci thispatent may be obtained terefive cents'each, by addressingthe Commissioner Biitnts,

' Washington, D. c." 1

